by A. M. Myers
“Maybe we should just have this conversation when you’re sober.”
“No,” he growls. “I’m just trying to say that… there is all of this shit around me… like a fucking hurricane of bad shit but then there’s you and with you… it’s all calm and I can breathe. I think… I… fuck, I don’t know…”
My mind races, replaying everything he just said to me again and again as I try to sort it all out into something intelligible and figure out what he’s really trying to say but I don’t want to read into anything. Not when I have too much on the line. The Impala slips out onto the street and the screaming of the protestors floods the cab as my heart climbs into my throat. Just before we turn, I glance over and meet Warren’s eyes as he stands on the edge of the crowd, watching us leave. The stupid white mask is completely covering his face, like always, but I swear he’s smiling at me and it chills me to the bone as my heart thunders in my chest.
“Rowan, I need to tell you something…”
I peek over at Travis again. “Okay.”
“He’s been calling me… calling me and torturing me. He said I couldn’t tell anyone but it’s killing me and I don’t want to die… but I can’t lose you either. Oh, fuck, I shouldn’t have said anything,” he whispers, an ache in his voice so potent that tears sting my eyes as I glance between his tortured face and the road. Groaning, he scrubs his hand down his face and shakes his head, clearly wrestling with what he just said. It breaks my fucking heart.
“What do you mean you don’t want to lose me, Travis?”
He rolls his head to the side and meets my eyes. “He’s going to kill us all… he told me and he’s going to take you from me. He said you caught his eye… but I won’t let him have you because you’re mine, right? You said you were mine last night.”
“Yeah,” I whisper, nodding as my heart hammers in my chest and I grip the wheel tighter as my hands shake. “I’m yours, Travis.”
Just when I think I’ve reached the bottom of the “what the fuck” barrel when it comes to Warren, I manage to find a new low and I can’t help but worry how much more we could all lose before this is over. But then, there is another part that wonders if there is no end to this. Maybe this hell is just our lives now and there is no escape.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Warren
“Yes,” I hiss, my chest feeling light as air as the roar of a bike engine fills the air. A wide smile stretches across my face and my body vibrates as I punch my fist into the air. Rain splatters against my face but I don’t even give a shit anymore. I’m soaking wet but it doesn’t matter when everything is falling into place exactly the way I wanted it to and it’s especially fortunate since this is the one part of my plan where things could have gone epically wrong.
But it didn’t.
Clearly, fate, God, or the universe is on my side in this mission and I laugh to myself as I think about how I put all of this together. For years, I’ve been working on making very realistic looking fake profiles all over the internet so after I posted the fake videos of the guys on the website I made for them, all I had to do was comment that we should protest the club and, voila , people showed up outside the clubhouse in droves, ready to fight for their city. Once I started standing out there with them, it was easy enough to stoke the flames and spread fear through the crowd about how dangerous the club is and once that fear was behind the wheel, a well-timed joke about Molotov cocktails inspired a few of them to take action. It’s gorgeous the way it all pieced together, actually, and I’m pretty damn proud of myself for what I’ve already been able to accomplish.
I gotta say, watching the brothers and their old ladies slowly go mad from being cooped up in that building with each other while the protest raged on outside was the best part of my day. Fuck, they still don’t even know about the first time I broke into the club a little over a year ago and planted hidden cameras all over the place, hidden cameras that have allowed me to keep an eye on everything they’re doing without the risk of getting caught. Chuckling, I shake my head. It’s actually surprising just how easy it is to get your hands on tiny little cameras hidden in all sorts of things like clocks, tissue boxes, water bottles, picture frames, smoke detectors, and so much more. And when I couldn’t find a replacement item online, it was easy enough to modify the things already in the clubhouse so that I could hide a camera in it. I’ve been watching their every move for so goddamn long and they didn’t have a fucking clue. Not until I insinuated as much to Streak and even that gave me endless entertainment as I watched him try to figure out how I was watching them. He must have run diagnostic checks on his computer and the security system every day for a week and I laughed my ass off each time with a bowl of popcorn in my lap.
The growl of the bike creeps closer, snapping me out of my thoughts and I slip behind a tree as Blaze leads the caravan of vehicles into the driveway of Emma and Nix’s plantation house. I despise this place but I’m glad they chose to come here because this is another point where my whole plan could have gone up in smoke. Emma and Nix’s house is pretty well secured but I was able to scope it out weeks ago when Blaze ordered everyone to the clubhouse, in the hopes that they would come here when shit went down, and I know my way around their security system. It’s honestly almost perfect but there are a few blind spots that will allow me to move around the property without being detected which is good since I don’t have cameras inside. Sure, the best-case scenario would have been to keep them at the clubhouse where I had unlimited access to them with my cameras. The thing is, I was actually growing bored with how easy this has all been so having them here will present new challenges.
But I’m up to the task.
“Let’s move, y’all!” Blaze hollers as he swings his leg over his bike and scans the area. Everyone else files out of their cars, their eyes wide and their faces pale. I can’t help but smile. Fuck. I love seeing the mayhem I’ve caused in their lives and the fear pumping through their veins as they think of me. Blaze lets out a shrill whistle to gain everyone’s attention, his shoulders tight and his eyes narrowed into a glare as he continues scanning the yard. “Let’s move, people. I don’t want to be standing out here for too long.”
They all nod in agreement and he points to Storm, Kodiak, and Moose.
“Grab guns and do a perimeter check. Make sure we’re truly safe here.”
Storm nods, pulling a pistol from the waistband of his jeans. “On it, boss.”
Shit.
That means it’s time for me to go.
Everyone springs into action, bustling around the driveway to get all of their things hauled into the house as I watch from my hiding spot. Storm, Kodiak, and Moose start off for the other side of the property to start their sweep, giving me a few more precious moments as I soak in the chaos. The voice in my head that demands justice, the one that is constantly screaming at me to take immediate action is silent tonight. Maybe it’s because he’s temporarily satisfied with their suffering or maybe it’s because he knows this next part is going to destroy them and he’s just as excited to watch it all fall apart as I am. Finally, after all of this time and all of this work, I’m going to get the justice we deserve and I’m downright fucking giddy.
Rowan steps out of Streak’s Impala and my gaze snaps to hers in an instant as my cock springs to life with just one look at her. Shit. She looks damn good tonight in her tight little jeans and fitted hoodie but it’s the pink mesh bra and panty set I know she’s wearing underneath that is making me crazy. So many nights, I’ve laid in bed and watched her with Streak, giving him everything I want from her as fantasies of gutting him and fucking her on top of the remains filled my mind. She was never part of the plan and another instance where this whole thing could have been derailed if I wasn’t so damn good but I managed to make it all work and when this is all over, I won’t be satisfied unless I have her under my arm as we watch the Devils burn. As she looks around the property, I swear she can feel me here with her – that ache in her chest an
d the current that races over her skin giving me away – and I glance over at the guys doing a sweep before whispering a curse. They are getting close to my hiding spot and it’s time to go. Taking one last look at my girl, I smile and blow her a kiss.
“Soon, baby girl,” I whisper before turning and creeping back through the forest, away from her, without a sound. It’s time for act two and if they think everything up until now has been bad, they aren’t ready for what is coming next. I’m going to dig my claws into this club, feel the blood seep over my skin, and tear it apart.
Chapter Thirty
Rowan
Birds sing sweetly somewhere off in the distance and early morning sunlight streams in through the windows, the cheeriness of it all such a stark contrast from the nightmares that tormented me all night long, as I pad down the stairs in desperate need of coffee.
“Morning,” Tate calls as I step into the kitchen and I nod, rubbing at my tired eyes. She takes one look at my face and snorts out a laugh as she points to the coffee pot. “Coffee?”
I nod. “You’re an angel.”
“Well, if that’s all it takes.” She laughs, turning back to the counter as she fiddles with the pen in her hand. There is a notepad laid on the counter in front of her and I scowl as I grab a mug from the shelf above the coffee pot and fill it up with sweet, sweet caffeine.
“How did you sleep?” Emma asks and I glance over my shoulder at her, nodding as I think back over the last twelve hours. After we got here last night, everyone made quick work of bringing all of the luggage inside and making sure the house and surrounding property were secure before Emma started handing out room assignments. She put Travis and me together in the room at the top of the stairs with white shiplap walls and a giant king-sized bed with a black metal bedframe that felt so homey. Lincoln wasn’t too pleased about the sleeping arrangements and with just one look at my big brother, I could see that it’s taking every ounce of restraint he has to keep his promise to me and not tell Travis the truth about my feelings for him but he’s worried about me.
“Good.”
She smiles. “Good. Streak still sleeping?”
“Yeah,” I scoff, carrying my mug with two hands as I shuffle over to the massive island in the middle of the room and sit next to Tate. “He finished off one and a half bottles of whiskey last night so he’s probably going to be out for a while.”
“He okay?” Tate asks, arching a brow and I sigh, remembering the way he stumbled into our room last night with the second bottle of liquor in his hand and collapsed onto the bed. He didn’t pass out for a while, though. Instead, we just laid there for hours talking. He told about the three phone calls he received from Warren but he kept it pretty vague when I asked what Warren had said to him - just telling me that he usually spent his time taunting Travis with his inability to find him and threatening to start killing people if he told anyone about the calls. He also mentioned that Warren had taken a liking to me. When I balked, he assured me that Warren’s interest was nothing more than another side game to get at him but I can’t help but be worried. “Rowan?”
I blink up at Tate, remembering her question. “Oh… yeah… I think he’s okay.”
I don’t.
Travis is clearly not okay and tears sting my eyes as I think about everything he’s been going through, silently, these past few weeks. He’s been in hell and my chest aches for him. On top of the stress every other member of this club was feeling from the situation, he also had to listen to Warren mock him and threaten the people he cares about. As I laid in bed and watched him sleep for a few minutes this morning, I promised him that I was going to be there for him unconditionally no matter how much it hurt me in the long run because it’s clear to me now that he needs me. My mind drifts back to the words he said in the car about me being the calm in this storm for him and the one place where he can breathe as I stare down into my coffee cup. If I’m his harbor, his shelter as this fight rages around us, then that’s what I’ll be no matter how much it hurts me when he walks away.
No more running.
No more keeping him at a distance because I can’t. It hurts me, it hurts him, and I love him too much to watch him suffer like this all alone.
“You two work things out then?” Tate asks, drawing my attention back to her as she chews on one end of the pen and I nod, deciding to keep the truth to myself. I know Tate has good intentions but all it’s going to take to set my brother off is one misplaced comment and I can’t have him telling Travis the truth about my feelings. I’m not ready for this to end yet.
“More or less… we’re figuring it out.”
She flashes me a grin. “I knew you would. The two of you were freaking made for each other.”
“I don’t know about that.” I laugh, trying to keep my tone light as a stake pierces my chest and pain floods my body. I so wish her words were true that Travis and I were made for one another but pretending like this could ever be anything more than the casual relationship we agreed to is asking for heartache. Glancing down at the notepad in front of her to distract myself, I nod to it. “What’s that?”
“We’re making a grocery list,” Emma says and Tate nods.
“This poor girl does not have near enough food to feed twenty fucking people for however long we’re going to stay here for.”
Emma laughs. “To be fair, I wasn’t expecting company.”
“You guys heading out soon?” I ask and they both nod. “Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not,” Tate says, dropping the pen on the counter and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. Someone clears their throat from behind us and we glance back as Blaze arches a brow.
“Sure hope you ladies weren’t planning on going out by yourself.”
Tate flashes him a sweet smile. “‘Course not, Blaze. We were just about to go ask you if you wanted to go, too.”
“Mm-hmm,” he hums, grabbing a mug from the shelf and pouring himself a cup of coffee. He takes a sip and closes his eyes, sighing, as he swallows and I study his face, noticing the new wrinkles around his eyes from all of the stress we’ve been enduring lately. This whole situation, it’s hell on each and every member of this club, hell on the family of the members, and we need to find a way to end it. I have no freaking idea how but we have to find a way. Blaze sighs again and takes another sip of coffee as he opens his eyes and nods to us. “Let me know when you ladies are ready to go.”
I nod as I stand up and grab my coffee. “I’m going to get get ready.”
“Ten minutes,” Tate calls and I nod in response before walking over to the stairs and dragging my tired body up them. I slip into the room and smile when I see Travis sprawled out in the middle of the giant bed, one leg hooked out of the covers as they ride low on his hips and his hand splayed out on his stomach. His full lips are parted as a gentle sawing noise fills the room. I’ve never heard him snore before but maybe that’s because I usually fall asleep first or it could be the fact that he was gone last night. Unable to stop myself, I sit on the edge of the bed and turn to him, studying his handsome face as he sleeps and the pain in his eyes when he told me about Warren last night rushes back to me. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, tears sting my eyes as I reach up and brush his dark hair off of his forehead. He looks so peaceful in his sleep, so serene and I shake my head, trying to imagine the hell he’s been dealing with over these past few weeks as my chest swells. He lets out a small groan and I can’t help but smile.
God, I love him.
Groaning again, he rolls toward me onto his side and sighs as reaches out, feeling along the bed for something as his eyes open.
“Morning,” I whisper and he looks up at me, flashing me a sleepy grin as he grabs my hand and gives it a tug.
“Mmm… come back to bed, Princess.”
I shake my head, my smile widening. He’s so damn cute in the morning and I don’t know how I’m ever going to get enough. “I can’t. I’m running to the store to get provisions with Tate and
Emma.”
“I don’t fucking think so,” he growls, his smile falling away as he narrows his eyes at me and sits up, scooting across the bed and wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’ll come, too. You’re not fucking going anywhere alone.”
“You don’t have to…”
His hand slips into my hair, holding the back of my head as he slams his lips to mine, silencing my protests and I sigh, melting into him just like I always do as tears sting my eyes. How is it that after being together for weeks, each kiss still manages to rock me to the core? I’ve been in love before but I’ve never fucking felt like this and despite how happy he makes me, each good moment is tinged with the reality of our situation no matter how hard I try to ignore it. Pulling back, he meets my eyes and frowns when he sees the moisture gathering there, brushing his thumb across my cheek with such care that it’s hard to hold the tears back.
“What’s wrong?”
I shake my head and paste a smile on my face, choosing to focus on the happy as hard as I can. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Then, what’s with the water works, babe?”
“I don’t know,” I lie before letting out a humorless chuckle. “Maybe that we literally ran from a mad man again last night or the fact that he wants me or maybe it’s just because you’re so damn sweet to me.”
He nods in understanding and presses his forehead to mine, closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath. “Hey, when this is all over, what do you say we do something so fucking normal it hurts?”
“Like what?” I laugh and he shrugs.
“Dunno… dinner and a movie?”
I nod. “It’s a date.”
“Good,” he whispers, his smile shy as he leans in and presses his lips to mine. His kiss is gentle this time and it melts me on the spot as my chest aches with my love for him. When he pulls back, he flashes me a grin and gives me playful shove out of the bed. “Now, get ready so we can go shopping.”
